Food

Originating in Nanjing, ​Jinling cuisine is one of the leading cuisine categories in China.

The best introduction is at Plum Garden.

The award-winning restaurant in the Jinling Hotel serves savory salted duck, a local specialty made by marinating the finest duck in a special brine.

Another classic Jinling dish (you may have to order it off the menu) is deep-fried Mandarin fish, commonly known as squirrel fish. The de-boned fish is deep-fried and seasoned with sweet and sour sauce.

Documenting the most heartbreaking chapter in the city's history, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall is a must-see.

Built in 1985 on the site of a former mass burial ground (part of it is displayed), the contemporary museum commemorates the death of about 300,000 Nanjing citizens during Japanese occupation in World War II.

The museum is informative, with wartime stories that will chill your spine told by witnesses and victims. This is an extremely sobering experience.

Some 30 kilometers from Nanjing city center sits one of the best hot spring areas in China -- Tangshan ("soup mountain").

Once an exclusive hot spring area for the royals and nobles, Tangshan’s hot spring has a history going back 1,500 years.

The water temperature remains at around 60C (140F) throughout the year, with rich mineral substances in the waters.

Visitors can stay in a hot spring resort such as Regalia on the hill or Kayumanis in the foothills, or head to EASpring, which is open to the public with dozens of pools, from Chinese medicine baths to wine and coffee baths.

A stroll around Diaoyutai in southern Nanjing yields views of the Qinhuai River and old-style houses like this one.​​​Old Nanjing

As in any rapidly developing city, Nanjing's old buildings are vanishing, making way for new development.

A visit to southern Nanjing still offers a glimpse of the city's old life.

A nostalgic tour can start from Zhonghua Gate, site of the oldest and best-preserved city wall in China, the Ming City Wall.

Gan's Grand Courtyard, the biggest preserved residential structure is now the Nanjing Folk Museum. The mansion is also called "99 rooms and a half" to signify the vastness of this former home of a wealthy local.